Two Weeks in Germany

[Masbroughlad]

What options are available for nationwide travel in Germany for 2 weeks (11 days actually) Early December 2024?

We will make 3 or 4 long distance journeys (ICE 4 to 5 hours), probably 5 or 6 medium journeys (Half to 2 hours by ICE or RE).

We can travel to Germany by plane or Eurostar, one way or both ways. Totally flexible.

A friend said that the difference between first and standard class may be worth paying.

Considering:

DB Probe BahnCard - 25% or 50% off (valid 3 months). And buy tickets.

Paying as we go per journey.

Inter-rail (or whatever it is called for adults) pass for Germany only.

Inter-rail pass which includes UK to Europe

Anything else people can suggest!

As usual, all help appreciated! TIA.

 

[30907]

Default would be an Interrail Global Pass (and 1st is probably worth it, particularly on Avanti/LNER/ES for the food and drink).
4 days is the minimum which would cover 2 of your long journeys plus out and back. Extra days don't cost much, but for really short trips alternatives are - Deutschlandticket at EUR49 each (see Seat61 for instructions!) or possibly a Land or Verkehrsverbund mini-group day ticket (how many are "we" BTW?).

Where are your short trips? How flexible do you want to be?

If you want to fly, obviously you only need a one-country pass. Or depending on your starting point, the overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry might be another option.

 

[Norm_D_Ploom]

If you get the DB monthly pass for local transport buy it via the HVV app it's much easier than using the DB option.

 

[duesselmartin]

if you know what long distance trains you want to use, checking advance prices could be worth it. Sometimes a 1st class upgrade can be as little as €20.
Be aware however, 1st class in Germany does not come with freebies like complimantary drinks ect.

What options are available for nationwide travel in Germany for 2 weeks (11 days actually) Early December 2024?

We will make 3 or 4 long distance journeys (ICE 4 to 5 hours), probably 5 or 6 medium journeys (Half to 2 hours by ICE or RE).

We can travel to Germany by plane or Eurostar, one way or both ways. Totally flexible.

A friend said that the difference between first and standard class may be worth paying.

Considering:

DB Probe BahnCard - 25% or 50% off (valid 3 months). And buy tickets.

Paying as we go per journey.

Inter-rail (or whatever it is called for adults) pass for Germany only.

Inter-rail pass which includes UK to Europe

Anything else people can suggest!

As usual, all help appreciated! TIA.

 

[mad_rich]

You'll have to do the sums yourself to get the full answer. But I guess an Interrail pass would work out well. Especially if you have UK travel to get to St Pancras?

As @30907 says, 4 days (valid for a month) is the shortest pass, and you can use 2 of those in the UK/ Eurostar. 5, 7, 10, 15 day passes also available.

See how many days you would use, and bear in mind that you might want to buy a Deutschlandticket for €49 to cover your local transport + R & RE trains, so you might get away with a cheaper railpass.

First class is good in UK, Eurostar and Germany. Well worth it in my opinion.

 

[DeverseSam]

It’s worth getting inter rail so you can expand the trip to Switzerland / Austria / Czechia if desired

 

[peteb]

We did first class inter-rail 4 days plus a HVV purchased DB monthly pass earlier this year for a 2 week trip. It's worth doing a couple if long intercity trips using the IR card or, alternatively, use a day to travel widely using IC and ICE trains. We found the regional trains fine, even for long distance though they are relatively slow.

 

[duesselmartin]

What options are available for nationwide travel in Germany for 2 weeks (11 days actually) Early December 2024?

We will make 3 or 4 long distance journeys (ICE 4 to 5 hours), probably 5 or 6 medium journeys (Half to 2 hours by ICE or RE).

We can travel to Germany by plane or Eurostar, one way or both ways. Totally flexible.

A friend said that the difference between first and standard class may be worth paying.

Considering:

DB Probe BahnCard - 25% or 50% off (valid 3 months). And buy tickets.

Paying as we go per journey.

Inter-rail (or whatever it is called for adults) pass for Germany only.

Inter-rail pass which includes UK to Europe

Anything else people can suggest!

As usual, all help appreciated! TIA.

The line between Aachen and Köln is currently disrupted.
a freight- and an engineering train collieded yesterday evening. Freight cars and locomotive lie on the side. ICE trains are diverted via Rheydt. You can expect delays of at least one hour.
Regional services are being replaced with buses.

With the severity of the incident, you can expect the disruption to last into december.

 

[rvdborgt]

With the severity of the incident, you can expect the disruption to last into december.

DB still haven't updated their message, but current prediction seems to be that traffic is expected te resume Monday 25/11 around 15:00:

Aktuelle Störungs-, Bauarbeiten- und Ereignisinformationen im Regionalverkehr in NRW – Zuginfo NRW

www.zuginfo.nrw

Not all ICEs are diverted. Some are cancelled between Aachen and Cologne and replaced by buses.

 

[Porty]

Just booked on the DB app a couple of trips Berlin to Nuremberg and then onwards to Basel in mid January. Surprised to find plenty of Super Sparpreis fares of €20-30 for such long journeys. Opted for first class for an additional €5-10.
If travelling to Basel in Switzerland it was much cheaper to Basel Bad rather than Basel SBB yet they're only a mile or so apart. I will be staying in the Basel International Hostel for a couple of days prior to my flight home. The overnight fee includes all public transport in Basel, including to the airport. On arrival proof of accommodation being booked (an email) gives free transport from airport or train stations before check-in. This includes the area around Basel Bad.

 

[duesselmartin]

DB still haven't updated their message, but current prediction seems to be that traffic is expected te resume Monday 25/11 around 15:00:

Aktuelle Störungs-, Bauarbeiten- und Ereignisinformationen im Regionalverkehr in NRW – Zuginfo NRW

www.zuginfo.nrw

Not all ICEs are diverted. Some are cancelled between Aachen and Cologne and replaced by buses.

Zuginfo is anything but reliable. They will just extend the date for a couple of days every couple of days.

 

[peterblue]

You might want to consider an interrail 4/5 day pass for your 'longer journeys' including those on ICE services, and get a 49euro Deutschland ticket for shorter distance travel (regional only, but for short distance it isn't too big of a deal). I think this is cheapest for you if you plan on 11 days worth of travelling.